


Dark Against Light

by heartsdesire456



Series: Fire Against Ice (the series) [2]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Parenthood, Same-Sex Marriage, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-12
Updated: 2012-10-12
Packaged: 2017-11-16 03:44:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/535110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartsdesire456/pseuds/heartsdesire456
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(immediately follows Fire Against Ice)</p><p>
  <i>Lestrade felt more contempt for the world at large since Sherlock’s death. He had spent most of his time with Mycroft who- other than his one day of mourning- jumped straight back to work. He was still in mourning, Lestrade could tell just looking at him, but his work was clearly impossible to put off. He didn’t understand half of the things Mycroft said as he phoned and video-conferenced with people all hours of the day and night. He always sat in the room with Mycroft unless explicitly told ‘I’m sorry but this is very confidential work, my dear’. Mycroft needed him and he wanted to be there for him...</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Until Mycroft asks a question he never expected to hear.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dark Against Light

**Author's Note:**

> This directly follows Fire Against Ice so it is pretty much necessary that you read that one. Also, you will remember from Fire Against Ice that I chose not to use major character death as a warning because BY NOW we all know Sherlock isn't really dead. HOWEVER, the characters do not know this so there is a fair bit of angst.
> 
> Also Lestarde's daughters, ex-wife, and aunt are all straight from my imagination. 
> 
> *This series will have at LEAST one more part!*

Lestrade felt more contempt for the world at large since Sherlock’s death. He had spent most of his time with Mycroft who- other than his one day of mourning- jumped straight back to work. He was still in mourning, Lestrade could tell just looking at him, but his work was clearly impossible to put off. He didn’t understand half of the things Mycroft said as he phoned and video-conferenced with people all hours of the day and night. He always sat in the room with Mycroft unless explicitly told ‘I’m sorry but this is very confidential work, my dear’. Mycroft needed him and he wanted to be there for him.

He knew through Mycroft’s favored assistant ‘Anthea’ that life for John Watson was hell from the very day Sherlock died. Almost immediately, the press were hounding him every which way he turned. Lestrade had called him only to have his phone answered by a woman. He assumed it was John’s sister, since that was where Anthea said he had gone after Sherlock died. He could only imagine how grief-stricken John was, even without the press hounding him for information.

Greg felt an ultimate sense of sadness when the only people at Sherlock’s funeral were Mycroft, his and Sherlock’s mother, Mrs. Hudson, John, Molly, and himself. One of the most amazing men Lestrade had ever known and only six people cared enough to take the time out of their lives to mourn his passing. For all the people Sherlock Holmes had helped, for all the lives he had touched, for all that the world at large owed him, there were no more people who came to pay their final respects. Mycroft was strong for his mother but Lestrade’s bruised hand showed exactly how difficult it had been for him to keep it together. Lestrade was more than amazed at John’s strength. There were tears in his eyes, but he never once broke perfect posture or let out a single sob. Greg figured Mrs. Hudson clinging to him had something to do with strengthening his resolve. Mrs. Holmes held herself with the same stoic air Mycroft and Sherlock always had in even the most extreme situations, but after a while even she broke down. 

For all of his own grief, grief over the death of a man far too young to die, the grief over having failed Sherlock in the end after all, none of his grief amounted to anything- he imagined- as her grief over losing her youngest child. He felt more for her- and for Mrs. Hudson in the same sense- than he could put into words. He could not imagine outliving his own children. It was an unbearable thought and he was witnessing the reality for the poor women near him. 

After the funeral, Mycroft had gone straight back home to take a call that Greg couldn’t be around to hear, so he went with John to take Mrs. Hudson home. When they got to Baker Street, John only walked Mrs. Hudson to the stoop of 221 before kissing her goodbye and turning to hurry back to the cab. 

He never once glanced up at the windows of 221B.

As they both got back into the cab, Lestrade looked over at John, taking in his pallid visage and the heavy bags under his eyes. “Have you slept at all?” he asked sadly and John smiled sadly.

“Not really.” He blinked hard and bit his lip. “It’s too quiet at Harry’s,” he admitted with a broken smile.

Lestrade took a breath and steeled himself to speak. “John,” he started, feeling the tension growing as John stiffened. “I haven’t had a chance to say it yet, we haven’t really spoken, but I am so very sorry.”

John’s jaw clenched and his brow furrowed but he nodded. “Thanks.” He cleared his throat. “How’s Mycroft holding up?” he asked and Lestrade flinched.

“He cried,” he said and John gave him a somewhat surprised glance. Lestrade nodded sadly. “I-“ He swallowed. “His assistant held all his calls that morning. By the time I got there to make sure he was alright, she knew but he didn’t. She must’ve got word I was coming and didn’t want to do it herself. So I-“ He shrugged. “You know.” John nodded. “Well, he just… he cried. I never thought Mycroft Holmes would ever cry in my arms, I can tell you that much,” he attempted to joke.

John gave him a pained look. “So you two…” He trailed off and Lestrade nodded. “That’s good, Greg. That’s-“ John forced a smile. “He needs someone to take care of him, I’d imagine.”

Lestrade nodded. “Yeah. He’s alright, mostly. Or he tries to make us all think he is. This is the first time I’ve been away since… well, since I showed up that day,” he said. “He does his work, but he seems to like for me to be in the room with him. If not that, then in the house still.”

John let out a wet laugh. “You give a Holmes some attention, they cling like a vine, eh?” he attempted, though Greg saw a tear streak down his face before he quickly looked out the window, rubbing his face dry. 

Greg remained silent until they got outside of Harry’s house. He looked over at John and smiled softly. “John, are you going to be alright?” he asked gently.

John let out a weak chuckle. “I invaded Afghanistan, I watched friends die every other week, and I nearly died myself and I ended up being alright in the end.” He looked up with a weak expression on his face and an emptiness in his eyes that made Lestrade’s stomach drop. “But I honestly don’t know if I can be this time,” he said honestly.

Greg just nodded. “Take care, alright? Let’s get drinks later in the week,” he suggested and John nodded.

“Sounds good.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
In the month or so since Sherlock’s death, Lestrade hadn’t gone home to his flat for more than a few hours to get things to bring back to Mycroft’s home and pick up his mail. He had grown rather used to getting up and sharing a rather pleasant breakfast with Mycroft. Usually they didn’t speak much, choosing instead to enjoy one another’s silence as they ate and enjoyed their morning. 

Their usual silence could only account for a small portion of Lestrade’s shock, however, when Mycroft decided to break their ritual quiet with soft spoken words. “What are your thoughts on marriage?” he asked offhandedly, as though addressing the weather.

Lestrade choked on his coffee slightly, coughing a bit before looking at Mycroft with a somewhat shell-shocked expression. “Um, pardon?” he asked and Mycroft shifted slightly in his chair across from Lestrade at the small table.

“I’ve come to realize lately that even on days we don’t speak, I rely on your presence. There are many nights we barely see each other in passing as one goes to bed and the other gets up, yet knowing you have been in my home much of the day gives me the greatest sense of calm I have felt in a very long time.” He looked down at his cup of tea for a moment, fingers curled around the handle. “I cannot imagine ever being without you again, Gregory. You must know this.”

Lestrade felt a warmth growing inside of him and he nodded, reaching out to catch Mycroft’s hand on the tabletop. “I know, love. I feel the same,” he said, earning a warm glance from his lover. “But…Mycroft, I don’t even officially _live_ with you. We were apart for nearly five months before getting back only a month ago.”

Mycroft nodded. “Yes, and I would like to remedy the first situation and make sure the second doesn’t happen again,” he said simply. His eyes softened, showing a slight tint of vulnerability that he rarely let show. “Gregory, I love you more dearly than I knew one could love another. It only seems natural to want… permanence. A sign that we are bound together.” He took a breath and gave Greg a long look. “Will you marry me, my dear?”

Lestrade nodded in understanding. “I know, love,” he said, then bit his lip, giving him an uneasy look. “This is quite sudden, Myc. Can I have some time to think about it?” he asked and Mycroft inclined his head.

“Of course,” he agreed. “I only ask you really think about it rather than just use the time to stall, alright?” he asked, and Lestrade could see the hint of desperation in his eyes as he spoke. It warmed his heart to know how serious Mycroft was about it all.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Since he was still suspended, Greg and John met for drinks at least once a week without interruption. That particular night, John seemed to even come out of his lingering funk to notice how distracted Greg was. “You alright, Lestrade?” he asked, passing him another pint. “Something on your mind?” he asked and Lestrade snorted.

“I’ll say,” he said, then sighed, closing his eyes to rub at his temples. “Mycroft asked me to marry him,” he said and opened his eyes only to find an honest to God smile on John’s face for the first time in a _long_ time.

“Well congratulations, mate!” he said, raising his glass to him. “I’m very happy for you, Greg. Genuinely happy for you.”

“I haven’t answered him,” he admitted and John stopped, raising an eyebrow.

“Why the hell not?” he asked and Lestrade shot him a disbelieving look.

“Well for one, we don’t even _live together_ ,” he started and John shrugged.

“Nobody used to live together before they married, it’s a fairly new idea, wouldn’t you think?” he suggested and Lestrade grunted.

“We’ve only been together a month this time-“

“And you were only apart because you were too stubborn to go crawling back to one another,” John interrupted. He sighed. “Look, Greg.” He pointed at him. “You love him, right?”

Lestrade scoffed. “Of course I bloody love him. I’d catch the bloody moon if he wanted it. I’ve probably been in love with him since the first time he kidnapped me,” he said and John chuckled.

“Then what’s wrong with marriage?” he asked. “He’s rich as hell, he adores you, you are one of the only human beings who can stand Mycroft for more than an hour or so- including his mother in that list-“ Greg snorted. “And the way I see it, you’ve got a chance to be happy with him.” He gave him a sad smile. “Somebody ought to be happy around here, don’t you think?”

Greg sighed. “But why does he want me anyway?” he asked. “I’m probably not getting my job back, I’m fifty years old, I’ve got gray hair, I’m a divorcee with daughters who barely see me, and Mycroft could have anybody he wanted.”

John shrugged. “Or you’re brave, you’re loyal, you’re bright, you’re devoted to him, and most of all, he’s bloody in love with you,” he said pointedly. “Take your pick, Lestrade.” He looked down at his glass and swallowed hard. “Look, take it from someone with more regrets in their life than you could imagine.” He looked up and met his eyes. “If you love him and think you have the slimmest chance in hell of happiness with him, marry him. Be happy. Enjoy life while you can.” He shook his head. “Don’t think ‘one day’ because for all you know, ‘one day’ might never come.”

Lestrade just swallowed hard, looking at the pain in John’s eyes. He finally felt it click and his heart dropped. “Oh John,” he said and John just looked away. He sighed and nodded. “You’re right. I should marry him. I mean… what’s stopping me?”

John forced a smile and nodded. “Exactly.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Lestrade spent most of his time lazing about, but Mycroft had a very busy few days that left them just missing another for nearly a week. It wasn’t until Mycroft got the weekend off for the first time in nearly a month that he and Greg managed to get both get a bit of a lie in. At breakfast, much like the one the week before, Mycroft looked up from his toast and smiled as he saw Greg looking at him. “Yes, dear?” he asked and Greg offered him a grin.

“I was just thinking,” he said, then bit his lip as he reached out and took Mycroft’s hand. “Hey, remember how I told you I would think about something,” he started and Mycroft stilled.

“I presume you’ve come to a decision?” he asked, looking uneasy. Greg nodded and Mycroft tilted his head. “Ah.”

Greg gave him a soft smile, barely even a tilt of his lips. “If you can promise me your mum won’t make us have a big wedding, I would love to be your husband, Mycroft.”

Mycroft’s lips twisted into a smile and he nodded. “I’m not sure I can get out of a wedding at all, but a small affair is probably amenable.” He lifted Greg’s hand and kissed his knuckles. “You have made me incredibly happy, Gregory.”

Lestrade chuckled. “You’ve got nothing to thank me for,” he said, leaning closer to kiss Mycroft softly. “I admit I was unsure at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I came to realize there’s just no reason not to marry you, Myc. Yes, we haven’t been back together very long, but before we split up we had been seeing each other for quite some time. I cannot imagine loving anybody else the way I do you.”

Mycroft smiled and nodded. “I did understand, Gregory, I’m just glad you agreed with me that it wasn’t too much to overcome.” He squeezed Greg’s hand before picking up his tea again. “I trust that means you wouldn’t mind using my day off tomorrow to guide moving most of your belongings here?” he asked and Greg chuckled.

“I may as well. God knows when you’ll have time off again soon,” he agreed. “I would say let’s get a start today but I’m busy this afternoon.”

Mycroft hummed. “Oh? I was under the impression you had very few obligations still. I was looking forward to having dinner together for once tonight,” he joked and Greg grinned.

“I’ll be home for dinner, love. Although knowing how busy you’ve been this week, your luck a war will break out before lunch,” he said and Mycroft hummed.

“God I hope not. I do hate when wars break out.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Lestrade waited at the door, only to beam when it opened and he was attacked with a hug. “DAD!”

“Ooof, careful, sweetheart,” he chastised, laughing as he kissed her curly brown hair. “Your poor old dad’s getting too old for you to jump on, Chrissie,” he joked.

“You aren’t old yet, dad,” she said, looking up at her father. “Come on!” she said, tugging at his hand. “EVIE! Dad’s here!” she shouted as Greg shut the door behind him. He followed Chrissie, smiling when they walked into the kitchen and found his ex-wife cooking lunch. “Mum, Dad’s here.”

“Hello, Greg!” she said, pushing her hair out of her face. “Chrissie’s been excited to show you something,” she said and he chuckled as he walked over and kissed her cheek.

“Hi, Sarah,” he said, and then shot Chrissie a look. “I figured something was up for her to be so excited about me,” he said, grinning when Chrissie ran off. “Well, that was quick,” he said and Sarah laughed.

“Evie’s probably just got up,” she said, rolling her eyes. “She was up watching scary movies with her mate Lily last night. Lily’s mum didn’t come get her until nearly three in the morning,” she said in a huff.

Greg started to reply, only to be distracted when Chrissie came back in with a trophy. “What is that?” he asked her and she handed it over with a big grin on her face. He read the inscription and laughed brightly. “A science award? That’s brilliant!” he said, hugging his daughter to his side before handing her little trophy back. “That’s great, sweetheart!”

“Good thing she’s smart, she’s rubbish at sport.” Lestrade looked up and shot his eldest daughter a glare. “Hi dad,” she said, yawning as she shuffled over to hug him too.

“Hello, sweetheart,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “You two go get ready to go, ay? Let’s go get some lunch.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
As Greg walked along with Chrissie’s hand in his and Evie on his other side, listening to her tell him all about the girls’ football team she was on and how many games they had won and lost, he could only remember why he had tried so hard to make things work with Sarah for so long. He missed his kids and he missed being there for the things in their lives. It was, admittedly, worth spending one of his only days with Mycroft home in weeks walking about in the cold if it meant he got to spend time with his girls.

After the girls finally agreed on Chinese for lunch, Lestrade decided to use the time to broach the one subject he’d been somewhat worried about. “So, girls,” he started, putting his hands on the table, fingers laced together. “I wanted to talk to you about something,” he started, taking a breath. “This may be a bit of a surprise, but I’m…” He paused and took a moment. “I’m getting married,” he said, looking between the two across from him.

Evie frowned. “We didn’t even know you had a girlfriend,” she said and Lestrade cleared his throat.

“Well, sweetheart, that’s because I don’t,” he said, fiddling with his watch. “I’ve… I’ve been seeing a man for over a year now,” he said, biting his lip as he watched for their reactions. 

Evie raised an eyebrow but Chrissie just smiled. “Cool, what’s his name?” she asked and Lestrade let out a soft sigh of relief.

“Mycroft. His name is Mycroft,” he answered promptly. “I wasn’t going to bring it up this soon, but this is actually the only weekend I’ve got off for a while,” he lied, as he still had his ex-wife thinking he had a job. “He only asked me a few days ago.”

Evie just gave him a small smile. “I bet he’s really cool, dad,” she said and Lestrade couldn’t help a snicker.

“To be honest, he’s really not cool,” he said, smiling fondly out the window. “He works a lot like me, only a thousand times MORE than me. I’m not sure he’ll even be home the next few days, his job has such random hours.”

“Where do you live now, dad?” Chrissie asked curiously. 

Greg smiled. “Well, the good news is I’m moving into his place so I don’t have to live in that terrible flat anymore.”

“Does that mean we’ll get to see you more?” Chrissie asked and Greg’s heart clenched slightly at the hopeful look in her eyes.

“I hope so, sweetheart,” he said earnest, meaning every damn word. “I really do.”

Evie gave him a suspicious look. “When will we be meeting this Mycroft bloke?” she asked. “We will get to meet him, right?” 

Lestrade paused. “I… guess you will eventually. But like I said, he’s a very busy man. I doubt it will be any time soon,” he said, eyeing them both. “So… you’re alright? Not mad I didn’t mention it before or something?” he asked.

Chrissie just shrugged. “Why would we be mad?” she asked and Evie offered him a smile.

“We just want you to be happy, dad,” she said and Lestrade actually got a lump in his throat at how earnest she was.

“Thanks, dear.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
When Lestrade got back home, Mycroft was just coming down the stairs. “Gregory, I just got in. Last minute emergency meeting,” he said, giving him a smile as he came down the last few stairs and took Lestrade’s coat from him. 

“Hello, love,” Lestrade greeted, kissing him softly. “Mmmm, a night in, huh?” he asked and Mycroft nodded.

“Thankfully, I have nothing important tonight. Unless something dramatic comes up, we’ll be fine.” He watched Lestrade head upstairs and went to go make sure their dinner was ready.

When Greg joined him Mycroft met him at the dining room door. “I figured we’d have a quiet dinner to ourselves without Matilda banging dishes drowning us out in the kitchen,” he suggested and Lestrade smiled, leaning in to kiss Mycroft sweetly.

“That sounds good, Myc,” he said, tugging Mycroft into the room by his hand as he passed him. “Sounds like a wonderful end to a great day.”

When Matilda brought their plates, they both thanked her and sat down to eat. Mycroft always liked sitting at the head of the table, as he did when he had larger parties over, so Greg sat to his left so they were still close by one another. “So, what did you do today?” Lestrade asked. “I thought you had all weekend off?” he asked and Mycroft snorted.

“Fat lot of good taking off did me,” he said, then smiled tightly. “No worries. It was taken care of and I should really have tomorrow off, I promise,” he said, reaching out to take Greg’s hand in his. “It’s lucky we didn’t decide to move your things in today,” he said and Greg nodded.

“Timed my visit with the girls perfectly,” he said, and Mycroft raised an eyebrow curiously. Greg chuckled. “Yes, Mycroft, I went to see my daughters today. I hadn’t seen them in a while.”

Mycroft gave him a slightly confused look. “Why ever not? You’ve been on suspension for a month now."

Lestrade cringed. “Yeah well I don’t exactly want my ex-wife and children knowing I got my ass fired. God knows it’s bad enough I barely see my kids, last thing I need is for them to know I’m a failure as well-“

“Gregory, you aren’t a failure, how could you say that?” Mycroft asked, looking surprised. He squeezed his hand. “You’ll have your job back, I’m sure.”

Lestrade sighed. “I know, I know. I just… I don’t want them to think I’m a failure,” he admitted. “They would see that ‘Dad’s unemployed’ and what then, you know?” he said and Mycroft frowned.

“I’m sure they could understand. They’re old enough, aren’t they?” he asked and Greg nodded.

“Yeah, Chrissie’s eleven and Evie’s fourteen,” he said, then laughed. “Good lord, I don’t think I’ve ever even told you my children’s names. God, we’re a very backwards couple, love,” he joked and Mycroft chuckled.

“I can’t believe it’s never come up what your daughters’ names were,” he agreed. He sipped his water then looked at Lestrade. “Do they even know you’re attracted to men?” he asked and Lestrade groaned, slapping his free hand over his face.

“That was something I brought up today. I was going to wait but I rarely get to see them so I wanted to tell them about me getting married in person.” He made a face. “I had no idea how they would react to ‘oh yeah, Daddy’s been dating a man’. Thankfully, they seemed to take it alright.”

Mycroft offered him a small smile. “That’s great, Gregory. I’m glad it went well for you.”

Greg smiled. “Now I just need to get my damn job back and all will be good.”

Mycroft tilted his head. “I’m looking into your suspension. Hopefully I can get some cooperation and speed up the inquiries, my dear.”

“Thanks, love,” Greg said, leaning across their plates to kiss Mycroft sweetly. “But it isn’t necessary.” Mycroft shrugged.

“I just want to make things easier, Gregory,” he said softly and Greg smiled.

“I know, love, I know.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Gregory?” Lestrade looked up from the TV and glanced back at the door, smiling when Mycroft came in with Anthea following him. 

“Hello, love,” Lestrade said, tilting his head back for a kiss that Mycroft granted him. 

“Gregory, I would like for you to tell me what you think,” he paused and pulled a box out of his coat pocket to hand to Lestrade. “I know we haven’t decided on a real plan of attack yet, but I wanted to get them out of the way.”

Greg opened the box and smiled when he saw matching rings nestled in the boxes. “I like them,” he said, looking closer. They were simple, flat platinum bands with lines around the very edges. “What’s that?” he asked, looking at the design.

“Inset microdiamonds,” Mycroft said with a small smirk. “Can’t have terribly plain rings but I know you’ll have to work so nothing flashy,” he said and Greg grinned up at him.

“Always a posh bugger,” he teased, stretching his chin up to kiss him again. “I like them, they’re a good compromise of our styles,” he said, handing the box back. “What brought this on?” he asked and Mycroft walked around the couch to sit next to Lestrade with a slight huff.

“I told Mummy that we’re getting married and she started asking all these questions about when and where and all the details of the wedding and I got to thinking that buying the rings would probably be the easy part,” he said with a playfully sad tone in his voice.

Lestrade slung his arm around Mycroft and chuckled. “I’d offer to help but I fear I’d be more hindrance than help.” He eyed him suspiciously. “No giant wedding.”

Mycroft nodded. “Definitely not. I’m actually pretty sure we could just have an official come with the papers and maybe do it at my family’s home. We could let my mother host a dinner for us or something.”

Lestrade nodded. “That sounds alright, I guess.” He smirked. “We should plan it soon and send out the invitations too late for most everybody to bother coming. That way we don’t have to worry about random aunts and cousins,” he offered and Mycroft smirked.

“You’re devious,” he said, leaning in to kiss him sweetly. “You’ll make a great Holmes,” he said and Lestrade glared.

“Lestrade-Holmes, you mean,” he said and Mycroft cocked an eyebrow.

“Why not Holmes?” he countered and Greg scoffed.

“I go by Lestrade half of the time, Mycroft. And I like my name,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “I know better than to ask you to become Lestrade,” he said and Mycroft sighed dramatically, though Greg could tell it was a jocular display.

“Fine, my dear, how about a compromise,” he started.

Lestrade narrowed his eyes. “I’m listening.”

Mycroft tilted his head to lay against Greg’s arm, looking up at him. “Holmes-Lestrade- it sounds better- and we still professionally go by just our original last names,” he suggested.

Lestrade thought about it, and then nodded. “Alright, I can do that.”

“Good,” Mycroft said with a warm smile. “You are making me the happiest man in the world, Gregory-“

“Sir, it’s time to leave for your next appointment,” Anthea interrupted. Greg had forgotten she was standing behind them the whole time and gave her an apologetic smile.

Mycroft gave an honest to God whine, and then stood up with a dramatic slouch. “I can’t get a moment just to enjoy being engaged, I swear! Britain has a personal vendetta against my happiness-“

“Alright, Myc, you’re turning into a twelve year old,” Greg teased. 

Mycroft chuckled, shaking his head. “Yes, I guess so.” He leaned down and kissed him, a bit more firmly, before straightening. “I’m behaving like the wrong Holmes, aren’t I?” he said with a sad smile. “Good afternoon, Gregory. I should be back later before you go to bed, my dear.”

Lestrade nodded. “Ta, love,” he said, only to wince when Mycroft walked out. He leaned back against the couch and thought about what Mycroft had said. His joke about ‘the wrong Holmes’ was the first mention of his late brother since after the funeral over a month and a half in the past. Greg felt a pang and smiled sadly. “Imagine what you’d say if you could see it now, Sherlock. I’m marrying your brother,” he muttered to himself, shaking his head, as if to rid his brain of the memories, before standing up to go get a drink.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“I have good news!” Lestrade looked up from the book he was reading as he lay in bed and took off his reading glasses as Mycroft strode into the room, already carrying his jacket over his arm on his way to the closet. 

“Do tell, love,” Lestrade said, smiling as he listened to Mycroft rattling around in the closet. 

“Well,” he started, voice somewhat muffled. “Two pieces of good news. First, I’ve had the Civil Partnership papers pulled up and my mother has agreed on an informal, family only event this coming weekend.”

Lestrade smiled. “That’s great! What was your other news?” he asked and Mycroft came out of the closet dressed in only a pair of Lestrade’s track pants and a tee-shirt. 

Mycroft came over and climbed into bed next to Greg, who obediently lifted his arm so that Mycroft could settle against him. “In two weeks, they will be finished with the inquiries and you should have your job back,” he said and Lestrade dropped his book, he started.

“Really?! Mycroft, what on earth did you do? It’s only been two months!” he asked and Mycroft smirked. “Myc, what did you do?” Lestrade asked, narrowing his eyes.

Mycroft just smiled a dangerous smile. “Found a weak link is all,” he said offhandedly, picking Lestrade’s book up to hand back to him. “You were on page forty-seven,” he said, earning a sly grin.

“You never cease to amaze me, darling,” Greg said, marking his place before wiggling down some to lay his head on Mycroft’s shoulder as they sat close together. “So, six days and I’ll finally be able to call you my husband, eh?” he asked and Mycroft nodded.

“It’s incredible how something that is- essentially- a piece of paper and some jewelry can make me damn near _excited_ ,” he said, smiling sweetly at Greg. “I don’t really experience such active emotions.” Lestrade smirked at him and Mycroft raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Lestrade shifted and pressed his lips to Mycroft’s slowly, almost teasingly, sliding a hand down his chest. “I can think of something ‘active’ that incites emotions in you,” he said and Mycroft chuckled in a lower tone than before.

“And what would that be?” he asked, only to moan softly as Lestrade kissed him firmly. “Oh, that.” He made a show of ‘realizing’ what Lestrade meant then smirked. “Yes, I do believe that would be quite sufficient of an- oh!” He gasped, tilting his head away so that Lestrade’s lips had more access.

“Stop talking, love,” Greg said and Mycroft promptly stopped talking.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
At Mycroft’s insistence that it really was fine for Greg to want his children at the wedding, Lestrade set off to go talk to the girls and their mother about coming with him for the weekend to Mycroft’s family’s ancestral home. He was rather nervous about spending a weekend with Mycroft’s mother. He was hoping to talk his aunt into coming since his parents had both passed away a while back and he had no other family besides his kids.

Lestrade smiled and hugged Evie when she answered the door. “Hi Dad! I didn’t know you were coming today! Chrissie, Dad’s here!” she called, running upstairs to get her sister. 

“Evie? Did you say your father-“ Sarah walked into the hall and stopped. “Oh, Greg! Didn’t know you were coming by today. Everything alright?” she asked and he nodded.

“Yeah, just needed to talk to the girls about something,” he said, going into the living room to have a seat. Sarah sat across from him, both of them awkwardly trying to make small talk until the girls came down the stairs.

“Dad!” Chrissie cried, rushing over to hug Lestrade. She climbed in his lap, leaning against his shoulder. “What are you doing here?” she asked and Lestrade grinned when Evie sat down beside him.

“Well, I was just wondering,” he started, smiling in anticipation. “This weekend is the wedding and I was hoping you two would come,” he said, hugging Chrissie slightly. “Want to see your ol’ dad get married?” he asked and Chrissie gasped.

“Of course, Dad!” she said and Evie smiled brightly.

“Definitely.”

Sarah laughed a big forcedly. “Haha um, Greg,” she started, giving him a tight smile. “That’s four days from now,” she said. “You’re getting married in _four days_ and come to ask about taking the girls now?” she asked and he shrugged.

“It’s not a big thing. We only decided a few days back. We’re mostly just going to sign the papers and have a dinner, spend the weekend at Mycroft’s family home where his mother still lives,” he said offhandedly. “The girls can just come with us when we drive up Friday and I’ll bring them back Sunday evening so they aren’t too tired for school Monday-“

“Girls, can you let me talk to your father for a minute,” Sarah interrupted and they complied, standing up and going upstairs. Sarah leaned back to make sure they were going before turning to Greg. “What the hell, Greg?!”

Lestrade frowned. “What the hell what?”

She glared harder. “You come in here four days before you leave and decide you’re taking the girls off for the weekend?!”

He shot her a look. “I am their father, I was under the belief that yeah, I exactly can come down, tell my kids ‘the wedding is Saturday’ and then- as long as they don’t have plans- take them with me.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Greg, I don’t know any of these people, why should I let my children go off and stay there?”

Lestrade gave her an offended look. “Because I do and they’re my children as well,” he said firmly. “I’m getting married and I want my daughters there.” He shook his head. “They are the only real family I have anymore and now Mycroft is my family, as well.”

Sarah made a face. “I cannot believe you’re going to expose my children to that filth,” she said and Lestrade’s jaw _dropped_

“Excuse me?!” he demanded and she glared.

“You heard me,” she said coldly. “When the girls told me ‘oh, daddy’s marrying another MAN’ I nearly passed out. I cannot believe you’re putting that in their lives. They’ll have to live with the fact their father is married to another man-“

“And what the hell is so bad about that?!” he demanded, face burning from anger. “There is NOTHING wrong with my marrying another man-“

“It’s unnatural and my children have to live with their friends knowing that their father is a freak,” Sarah spat and he scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Oh like you have a leg to stand on,” he hissed angrily. “Their father is marrying a wonderful man with a professional career and the respect of influential people.” He gave her a grim smirk. “That’s meant to be more disgraceful than the fact their mother committed adultery with one of their _teachers_?!”

She glowered. “Get out of my house,” she spat and he stood.

“Gladly, you homophobic bitch,” he said honestly. “But I’m coming to get the girls Friday. I’ll call Evie with the details,” he added. “I may not have custody but I have every legal right to have my daughters for the weekend, especially when they _want_ to come.”

Lestrade went out into the hall and called up to the girls. “Evie, Chrissie, I’ve got to run but I’ll call you in a few days!” 

Evie and Chrissie’s footfall thumped to the landing and they both leaned over the rail. “Bye Dad!” 

“Love you, Dad!”

Greg smiled up at them. “Love you too, sweethearts.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Lestrade looked up and waved when John spotted him and made his way over. “Hey, mate!”

“Alright, Greg?” he asked, sitting down at the table across from him. “A few nights early this week. What caused that?” he asked and Lestrade smiled.

“I won’t be here Friday night,” he said and John nodded.

“Good. You got something planned?” he asked politely and Greg nodded.

“Yeah,” he said with a smile. “Actually, I wanted to ask you to do something,” he started. “So, this weekend, Mycroft and I are getting married,” he said and John gave him a bright, genuine smile.

“You decided on a date then? That’s great!” He slapped Lestrade’s shoulder. “I’m happy for you.”

Greg nodded. “Thanks. The thing is, I would really like for you to come,” he said, giving him a friendly look.

John cringed and sighed. “I’m not sure about that, Greg. I’d hate to break your husband’s nose on your wedding day,” he attempted to joke, but Greg just smiled sadly.

“John, I know you don’t like him-“

John flinched. “I’ve never liked him but there are just things that he did that-“ He shook his head. “It’s just not been long enough.”

Lestrade nodded. “Look, I know what Mycroft did,” he said and John’s eyes snapped up. “He told me. A few days after-“ he stopped and bit his lip.

John just sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “Yeah, I get you,” he said and Greg nodded.

“Well, Mycroft told me what all happened. He blamed himself and he wouldn’t say why until I finally got him to crack and tell me what he did,” he said, swallowing a bitter tasted back. “I wasn’t happy with him either, John. But while I’m not asking you to forgive him, I think he’s suffered more than enough living with the thought for the past two months that he’s the reason his brother is dead.” 

John flinched but nodded. “I understand that. I don’t know what made him do what he did and I’m sure none of us ever will, but I’m not stupid enough to miss that She-“ He clenched his jaw. “He was the most important part of Mycroft’s life for a long time and I do believe that he’s suffered for his actions.” He looked at him and shook his head. “But I just don’t know if I can do it, Greg. I’m not sure I can be around Mycroft so soon.”

Lestrade sighed. “John, we are _literally_ the only men that are going to be there. It’s going to be Mycroft’s mother, his assistant, my Aunt Sadie, and my daughters. Literally, John.” He gave him a desperate look. “Please come and save us from all the women,” he said and John let out a bark of surprised laughter.

“Oh I see it now, you’re asking me because you need another bloke, I get it,” he said, grinning. “What, none of your mates going?” he asked and Greg scoffed.

“Can you imagine my mates stuck in a room with Mycroft Holmes, two old ladies, a somewhat ominous woman with a false identity, and a pair of pre-teen girls?” he asked and John chuckled.

“No, I guess not,” he said, then sighed. “What the hell, you need a mate there on your wedding day,” he said, reaching out to slap Lestrade’s arm again. “Alright, I’ll come.”

Lestrade beamed. “Thanks, John. I really am glad you’ll come.”

John snorted “Not like many of your mates will put up with your husband-to-be, at least I have better self-control not to punch him than most.” Lestrade just smiled and nodded.

“That’s very true, mate.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Lestrade kept glancing over at Mycroft in amusement. He was fidgeting with his tie and his cufflinks. “You’re actually nervous,” he accused and Mycroft gave him a narrow eyed look.

“I don’t get nervous-“

“You _are_ ,” he said, grinning. He reached over and took Mycroft’s hand in his with a smile. “Love, they’re two little girls-“

Mycroft sighed. “Gregory, I’m not _nervous_ ,” he defended, then sniffed pointedly, turning his head to the window. “I’m just very unused to meeting children. Also, those children happen to be my soon-to-be-husband’s daughters,” he said and Greg smirked.

“They’re not scary, they’re just kids, Myc.” He pulled Mycroft’s hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. “You deal with scary, powerful people. You can handle children.”

Mycroft snorted. “Children definitely scare me more than dictators,” he admitted and Lestrade just chuckled.

When they pulled up in front of the house, Lestrade immediately climbed out and headed up to the door. Mycroft stood beside the car, waiting back while Lestrade collected his daughters. When the door opened Sarah was standing there glaring. 

“I still don’t like this,” she said and Greg just smiled and shrugged. “I’m serious, I have a good mind-“ she stopped and looked him over. “Good lord, what are you wearing?” she asked and Greg looked down, and then chuckled.

“Armani. Mycroft’s sort of rich and his mother is extremely posh so he’s bought me a few suits for this weekend,” he said, then looked up, only to smile over Sarah’s shoulder as he heard feet thudding down the stairs.

“Dad, tell Chrissie to stop acting like we’re going on holiday. It’s annoying how hyper she is,” Evie said, shoving past her mother with a bag in her hands. “Sorry, mum,” she said, putting the suitcase down to hug her father. “Hi, daddy,” she said, smiling up at him.

Greg grinned and kissed her cheek. “Well, we are going to a very posh, very huge house for a weekend, so it may not be Paris, but it’s still different, don’t you think?” he asked, then looked up when Chrissie came out. “Are we ready to go?” he asked, and Chrissie and Evie nodded.

Sarah just smiled tightly. “Have fun, girls,” she said, hugging them both. “Mind your father and all that.”

“Bye mum!”

“See you later!” the girls called, taking their bags to let Greg lead them to the car. When they got there, Lestrade chuckled at the very faint but noticeable to him look of horror that flashed over Mycroft’s face. 

Lestrade took the girls bags and winked at Mycroft as he passed him to go to the back of the car. “Chrissie, Evie, this is Mycroft,” he said, nodding at him. “Don’t get too offended by him, he doesn’t know how to act around kids,” he teased and Chrissie giggled while Evie just looked amused as they stood in front of Mycroft.

“You’re really tall,” Chrissie said, looking up at him from much closer to the ground than he was used to looking in order to speak to someone. 

Evie just rolled her eyes. “Sorry about her,” she said, then held out her hand. “I’m Evie, Dad’s said loads of nice things about you, Mr. Holmes,” she said and Mycroft shook her hand, tilting his head with a small smile.

“I’m glad to hear that, Evie,” he said as he shook her hand. “And please, both of you are more than welcome to call me Mycroft.”

Lestrade had just closed the trunk when a second, identical car pulled up behind them. “Alright guys,” he said, smirking as he came to stand next to them all. “You two get to ride with Mycroft so you three can get to know one another and I’ll ride with Mycroft’s assistant, Ms. Anthea,” he said, and Anthea nodded from her spot standing next to the car she had just climbed out of, her ever-present phone in her hand.

Mycroft shot him a calm look but with panicked eyes. “Gregory, are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Oh yeah!” he said, smiling brightly. “I’m sure the girls would love to get to know the man marrying their father, right girls?” he asked, and they both nodded.

Mycroft’s lips thinned and he let out a soft noise. “Very well,” he said, opening the door with a small flourish. “Ladies first,” he said, earning giggles from the sisters as they climbed into the car. He shut the door, then walked around the back, stopping to give Greg an annoyed look.

Lestrade just smirked. “Have fun, love,” he said, leaning in to kiss Mycroft sweetly, giving his hand a squeeze before he turned and jogged back to the other car. Mycroft sighed and rolled his eyes before going to climb into the car after Greg and Anthea had climbed into their car.

As soon as he settled, Chrissie looked up from the spot in the middle sitting right next to him and gave him a blinding grin. “What kind of job do you have to have two big cars drive you around?” she asked and Mycroft just smiled uncomfortably down at her.

“I have a small position in the government,” he said and she just nodded.

“What _kind_ of position?” she asked and Mycroft cringed, already recognizing where this was going.

It was going to be a long drive.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
It was only Mycroft, Lestrade, Anthea, and the girls arriving the first night. John and Greg’s aunt were driving in the following morning. When the cars pulled to a stop, the girls were both out in seconds, gaping up at the house they had arrived at. Lestrade had to agree, it was massive. “Wow, Mycroft. I knew you were posh but _damn_ ,” he said, stopping next to him.

Mycroft just chuckled. “You’ll never tire of calling me ‘posh’ will you?” he asked and Greg winked.

“Never, love.” He walked around him and put a hand on either girl’s shoulder from behind. “Well, what do you think?”

Chrissie leaned back against her dad and whispered. “Are you _sure_ he isn’t James Bond?” she asked and Lestrade let out a loud laugh.

“Well, I guess you can’t be too sure, now can you?” he joked. He looked up and smirked when he saw Mycroft had heard. “How annoying was Mycroft on the ride here?” he asked the girls, winking at Mycroft over their heads.

“He’s nice,” Evie said with a smile. “Looked terribly intimidated but he’s still nice,” she said and Lestrade kissed the top of her head.

“You two go on inside, I’ll get your stuff.” He looked up and Anthea materialized at their sides, leading the way inside. Lestrade turned around and Mycroft walked over, glaring. “What?”

“That was terrifying. I cannot believe you stranded me with a pair of preteen girls,” he said and Greg smirked. Mycroft rolled his eyes. “You are insufferable,” he said and Lestrade just smirked.

“You like it,” he teased, then took his hand. “But really, I wanted to see how you would get along with them. I doubt you and them will be seeing much of each other but I was curious,” he said and Mycroft smiled.

“I know, my dear,” he said, sliding his hand into Greg’s as the turned to head towards the house, the drivers of the cars getting their bags. “They’re very polite young ladies. Chrissie seems very bright-“

“Well she is my kid, why would you expect?” he asked playfully.

Mycroft laughed softly. “Gregory, what am I going to do with you?” he mused, leading the way inside.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The weekend was lovely. Mrs. Holmes had sent out for nice dresses for the girls to wear for the small ceremony of their father’s wedding, she had spent the weekend chattering like old friends with Greg’s Aunt Sadie, and both women spent all day cooing over John whereas the girls simply followed him around, demanding he tell them all about being a doctor. Chrissie and John actually had a competition to see who could stump the other in scientific terminology. All in all, for something that was barely a wedding instead of a contract signing, Lestrade and Mycroft could neither imagine a better time than what they had experienced. 

After dropping the girls home and giving Anthea the rest of the day off Sunday afternoon, Greg and Mycroft were finally home for the first time as husbands. Once they assured the driver they didn’t need help with their things, they headed inside. Lestrade dropped the bags by the stairs and smirked as he looked over at Mycroft, who had stopped at the table in the foyer where their mail had been placed. 

He walked up behind Mycroft, reaching around to grab the lapels of his coat. “Anything interesting, love?” he asked, pulling Mycroft’s coat off, plucking a letter out of his hand so the coat could slide over his hands before handing it back.

Mycroft hummed. “A lot of well wishes, as expected,” he said and Greg’s smirk grew as he slid his arms around Mycroft’s middle, standing slightly on his toes to kiss the back of Mycroft’s neck, trailing his lips along the side. 

“Mmmmm leave it, you know I like it when you wear braces,” he said, pressing his body against Mycroft’s as he kissed up to his ear, sliding a hand under the straps of his braces in the front pointedly. “Let’s go upstairs, Mycroft,” he said in a lower voice.

Mycroft chuckled, pointedly not turning to look back at him. “Gregory, for a man in his fifties, you are insatiable,” he mentioned, thinking back to their shower together early that morning.”

Greg just smirked, plucking at the waist of his pants. “I’m young where it counts, love,” he said, nipping at the back of Mycroft’s neck as his hands came up to loosen his tie and undo his top button. “C’mon, you know you want to,” he whispered into Mycroft’s ear. “First time we’ve been in this house married men,” he added, grinding his hips against Mycroft’s backside to prove his interest.

Mycroft groaned softly. “Oh I definitely want to,” he said, turning to catch Greg’s lips in a quick kiss. “Just let me finish sorting the mail, okay?” he asked and Greg gave him a lascivious look- bordering on a full on leer- and pulled him into a quick, hard kiss.

“I’ll be upstairs,” he said hoarsely, turning to stride across the foyer towards the stairs. “Don’t be too long or I’ll start without you,” he teased and Mycroft laughed as he turned back to the pile of mail. 

He picked up a parcel and frowned at the lack of marking other than the address. He tore off the paper, only to have his confusion deepen when he found a book on healthy eating recipes. He looked for a card or other marking and found none. He flipped through the pages to see if it was inside, only to stop when something on the inside cover caught his eye. He opened it and pulled the dust cover back to reveal the whole scribbled inscription, only to gasp sharply and drop the book outright.

“Mycroft?” Greg called from the top of the staircase. He looked down and frowned as he saw the tense line of Mycroft’s shoulders as he looked down at the book on the floor at his feet. Greg started down the stairs slowly. “Myc? Everything alright, love?” he asked as he sped up some.

Mycroft knelt down and picked up the book, standing with it clutched in his shaky hands. “Everything’s fine,” he said in a thin, unsure voice as he read over the inscription once more.

_Statistically, newlyweds gain weight within their first year of marriage. You definitely don’t need that now, do you?_

_All the best to the happy couple._

Without any signature at all, even without the handwriting Mycroft knew all too well, Mycroft could only think of one person who would find this ‘wedding gift’ amusing. 

“Myc?”Mycroft looked up and gave Greg an easier smile than he had seen in a very long time. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, putting a hand on Mycroft’s waist.

Mycroft just nodded and laid the book back on the table. “Of course I’m alright,” he said, turning to kiss Greg. “Everything is just fine.”

**Author's Note:**

> The series will be continued!


End file.
